The Bellevue Institute

Making Boobs again

2012-09-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is the stuffing that I make for THE boobs.

A handful of the "special" stuffing in each boob

Pan filled and ready for oven

Covered and in convection oven for 45 min at 425

Yummy!

2012-09-22T19:47:00.001-07:00

A few years ago my father in law, Ronald Jarosch, had van problems and it was discovered that his Pontiac transport had a hole in the trans-axle big enough to put your hand in. I had 2 Doge mini vans and I gave him the nicer one.

A couple years have passed and the van is starting to show its age. (i had it on the hoist to fix a power steering leak and started thinking about a replacement for dad right then)

One morning I came to work and discovered that van 41 took a deer hit and was totaled out. (damaged exceeded the value of vehicle) But I looked at the damage and figured that this is something I wanted to fix.

I have exceeded my budget by about 1500.00 and still have to buy a clock-spring and paint. Today was the big push. Winter is coming and projects have to be out of garage for company vehicles for the winter. So van and trailer are coming home.

I was going to post descriptions to each picture but would be time consuming and most you can see what was done.

Again this was something I might not of tried if I did not have the help of Mr. Thomas Woodman's help and advice.

2011-09-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just got home from my normal Tuesday night work load. Had a wonderful supper with Christina and helped Todd get his medical forms filled out for his doctor visit in the morning. I called the answering service and verified with them that I was on call tonight and was in bed by 2230. An hour later I am at PDM Bridge. Guess I will hang here at Sacred Heart and wait for William.

A few years ago I worked for Eby-Brown stocking the picking line and as a back up driver. Now many things had happened in our world, and on of them was the attack on the world trade center in New York. The day that I had the unfortunate "adventure" came a year or so after 9/11 but we were at an "orange alert level".

Throwing mud

2011-09-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Christina giving a try at taping

Covering up some of the holes

Taping the joint between the wall and the ceiling

New bucket of mud...

Fixing the joint in the wall

That wall is done except for sanding tomorrow.

Some of the Computers and things....

2011-09-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

This post will mostly be pictures. I hope to show some of the computer things I have done over the years.

This is a front picture of my file server that I built to hold all the digital memories and videos that we made over the years.

These are pictures of a Sony Vaio laptop with a bad power connector. the pictures show it being taken apart and the board bing fixed and reassembly and finally... TAADAAAA it works!!! boy was I amazed!

I had a bunch of OKI data printers to recycle. But I knew that the parts in some of these printers were hard to find and a company that I had done work for still uses these all across Wisconsin. I gave them a call and they sent a truck the next day.

A custom system I built for my wife. Silver-Blue over White epoxy. Case never scratched or faded.

One of the more interesting builds. This is a completely functioning M2 R/C tank With An AMD server inside.

if you don't believe me. I have more pictures and it can be seen at it home here in town.

An old Compaq Server that I rescued from the crusher

All the parts laid out on the bench, I am looking for a few of the missing things

There she is all fired up and modified.

One day, every computer that came in was a Dell.

Morticia, was another one of those ideas that never should of happened.

too much money was spent and the advertising for Halloween didn't work as planned.

An idea I had that didn't turn out so good.

(go ahead and rub my nose in it Tom)

another case I was building that was going to have so much storage in it it will need a second power supply and many fans to keep the hard drives cool.

There are more but who really wants to look at computer pictures

Why holidays are so fun.

2011-09-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

I decided to start telling some of the stories that have happened over the years to me and my family. Some of these relate to my past occupations, and some of them are about our family, and some of these are just so damn funny I had to write them down.

First off, These are not in any order, I just write these down as I go. Trying to put these in chronological order would be TIME consuming (ha ha ha I made a funny).

One of my favorite stories started about 3 years ago. Christina and I were dreaming about what we were going to do with our tax return when we got it. (I was able to estimate what our return would be using my pay stubs. And using some numbers from last years filing, I come up with an estimate that gets surprisingly close.

It must have been close to November, Or a week or two into it. Dad called me out onto his ramp and we chatted for a while. Moms daycare had lost some children and taxes were due soon, the wash machine had quit working right, Thanksgiving plans might have to be cancelled, and Christmas was looking really bleak for the grandchildren. Dad was also having some issues with his stump and spent a lot of time in bed (only place that he could be comfortable).

I went home with a heavy heart and knew that we, my wife and I had to help out. I talked to Christina and told here what dad and I were talking about explaining to her the things that she might not understand. After a while she stopped me and told me that we needed to help.

Now to the people that know me and my family already understand but you that don't I need to paint a picture of the other "Variables" that affect us from time to time and on occasion, totally screw up our lives. These "Variables" have names, and they are Cathy and Crystal. Cathy is the middle sister and Crystal is the youngest. Christina and Cathy share the same mother and father just not the same father as Crystal. (But as fate would have it, Ronald has been a better father then Mitchell ever would be.) In order for us to do something for the parents that would help them, there would be fallout from the other sisters. I needed to make this very clear to Christina for she has a hard time with her sisters, and this will come back and bite us. She didn't care, Our parents came first. (they really helped us out when we were young and just getting started and now we had to return the favor).

We had about $2000.00 saved up for the vacation we were planning on taking in the summer. (Virginia, Maryland, DC...The Smithsonian, Arlington...) (side note... Christina's grandma passed that summer and our plans were scrapped). So I went to RCU in the morning and on my way home I stopped at the parents house and handed Dad money to help him with on the taxes and some extra to help with Christmas. Tina had gotten the Thanksgiving supplies and delivered them earlier in the day. I wasn't home more than 15 minutes and dad called me up was trying to say thank you but he was choking on his tears of gratitude, and I told him he was welcome and that we wanted to help, because we could. Christina and I had plans for the money but we never really missed it after it was gone for we both knew this was going to be the best Christmas yet. We now had to get the next part of the plan in motion.

Christmas good for the children and was going to get better for Mom and Dad.

Christina and I have bought many appliances from Sears. And over the years we have dealt with the same sales lady, Darla. She was privileged to the time that were would be there shopping with Mom, buying Dad a LCD HDTV for the bedroom. (but what Mom didn't know was we were there for more than that.)

We picked out a new cordless telephone for Dad, So he wouldn't have to run a line to the bedroom. And then we went to look at TV's but for some ODD reason we couldn't get any help... that was really strange <wink>

So Mom and I went to find Christina over in the laundry area and showed mom the washer and dryer that we bought last year and started to "gab it up" with Darla and Mom walked to a nice front loader that was perfect for her and the daycare. she made the fateful comment that this would be perfect for their house. I turned to Darla and said that we would take it and could you deliver it on Wednesday?.. Mom turned white and yelled out "You're shittin' me?" I assured her that we were not and paid for it with our H&R block emerald card (tax return). Mom went to a corner and started crying... I told 'tina she had to go and talk to her while I took care of things. A washer and dryer(and extended warranty) , a HDTV for dad and a wall mount, and the cordless telephone.

We called Dad on the way home and Dad said that Mom was "full of shit" and get your ass home. We walked in the house with the new TV and I handed the receipts to Dad to put away and for the rebate. I went into the bedroom and put the TV up for him.

I made arrangements at work to be home on Wednesday when they were to deliver the washer and dryer. It was fun to sit on my day off and watch somebody else work. The guys from Sears came in on time and installed them and got everything working.

I still laugh when I think back to the first couple days when Mom had to call her daughter and ask for help with her new washer.

The next year, things were going to be different. I Did't know how we were going to improve on last year. But we had a few months to think about it. Dad was going through the "get the house ready for winter" routine that you do in the fall and it was discovered that the firebox in their furnace was cracked and was producing a small amount of carbon monoxide. (not good for a daycare) The mattress and box spring were shot in the master bedroom and flooring in dining room needed to be fixed.

Well, I sat down with Dad and told him I would help with the repairs of the furnace. And that he needed to worry about his health and taking care of Mom. Over the next few weeks I had Dad get a few estimates for repairs and a couple for replacements. Every thing was about even no matter what we did and replacing looked like the better idea in the long term. But what was in Dads "budget" were there odd name branded units that I had never heard of. I Suggested to Dad to call Kelly heating in Altoona and get an estimate from them. Tim Addie came over and talked to Dad and gave him a few ideas and they talked about warranty and rebates and a rebate from Xcel energy for installing this new furnace and the tax rebate for that tax season....Dad tried his best that night to explain it to me so I listened and asked him a few questions and then went to Kelly and talked to Tim. I had him explain a few things to me about the rebates and filling out the papers for I knew this would be confusing for Dad and wanted to make this as painless as possible. I was on the clock and had to run but told him I would be back.

Dad and I discussed the options (financing and such.... ya right...<wink>) and the warranties and rebates and different units and he liked the idea of putting some of the other projects on hold and replace the old unit with a new Bryant system from Kelly.

A few days later I went to see Tim again and he wasn't in the office but it didn't matter for I knew what I was going to do. I asked the secretary to pull the file for my Dad and pull the estimates and make them firm and I was going to pay for it now. She looked at me and did a double take and said the total was as written and that included filling out the paper work all the way to disposing of the old unit. I wish I could of thanked Tim in person that day for his hard work but he found out later.....(will continue this later)

This time is wasn't meant to be a huge surprise or anything, Mom and Dad knew what was happening and set up the date for the install and everything.

Old unit unhooked and ready to go away.

The new Bryant 95 in the basement and the old unit gone.

All hooked up, all new plumbing and electrical installed, and the old chimney capped in the basement. And it never got to cold in the house. The guys that did the work were fast and professional. And very respectful of the children and the environment that they were in with all the children.

I left before they finished for there were things that I needed to do. Mainly, get as far from Dad when he figured it out. Then it hit Dad when they got all done. They helped dad with the rebates and filling out the paperwork and the gave him all the cards and such and showed him how to program the thermostat. Then they left. Not knowing for sure when he was gonna have to start making payments, he called Kelly and wanted to know about making payments. And Tim Told Dad that his bill was paid in full and there was no balance.

I turned my phone off for I wasn't sure what I was going to say, and I was sure that this was going to be the event that was going to piss Cathy off (I was right). That night I was "summoned" by Dad to appear and to have dinner and coffee. Dad explained to me the fallout that occurred while he was inquiring (Cathy or Crystal showed up and was upset at Christina and I for doing this for them). It appears to them that we are trying to buy the affection of the parents with "things".

But in all honesty I could really care less. The parents have clean clothing, A new furnace, with so many rebates and savings they were able to use the money they were planing on using for the repair to buy a new bedroom set and get the dining room floor sanded and refinished.

So, Cathy and Crystal, all I can say to you is KISS MY A$$!

But it all had to come to an end.this fall under no circumstances was I to do any thing this year, The daughters had such a fight that Dad cancelled Christmas. The grand children cried for hours when they heard this. But I think I got it figured out this year.

With the purchase and expansion of our house, and the remodeling that we are doing, we hope to have thanksgiving at our house this year. And if there is any fighting, you can leave, damn sure I am not gonna cry one tear.

This year will be difficult to Top or even equal anything we have done. Most of our money is being used up on the house. But the best part this year I think is going to be.... Having the Parents to our house for a meal for the first time ever.

Dad Sitting out side on his ramp on a cooler October day

This story has another part to it that happened earlier this summer. I was listening to B95 one morning and they were talking about Kelly and the new System that Mike had installed. I had to call and tell the guys what had happened to Dad with the installation and all the extra that they went through to help my Dad with and how the work was quick and professional. But most of all, when the new thermostat failed 2 weeks after it was installed they were right out that morning and fixed it and were very happy to do it.

A week or so later I was having lunch with my friend George and I got a call from Tim Kelly. (the owner of Kelly heating) (O SHIT! I do believe I did say that). And he had just had dinner with the program/advertising director of Clear Channel Broadcasting, and he heard the recording of our phone conversation off the air at the radio station and wanted to hear from me personally. So I told him the story again and explained about the day care and wanting to take care of the parents and the help that they gave in picking out the right fit unit for the house and the help with the paperwork and all the credits we got back at tax time and on the electric bill (400.00 I think, almost 3 months for them for free) I did tell him that they were not the lowest estimate we got but we liked it because of other reasons.
I told him I was thinking about central air next Christmas and that the unit we picked allowed us that option. I was asked if they could use my testimony in advertising. I was also told that I needed to stop by the office and pick up a box.
Not sure what to make of it and being one of the hottest days, why not go somewhere that sells A/C to cool down. Some how (and I should not be surprised) Tim Kelly found out that the vent cap for the chimney never got installed. (not part of the estimate and we were going to until fall.) and he had one made. I went to dads house the next day and put it on and almost fell off, roof was slippery because it was so hot.

What I did Part 2

2011-09-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

The day was mostly wasted. I woke this morning and had a difficult time getting ready for anything. We are members of the salvation army church and the leadership decided to stop having church services a few weeks ago.

Christina was hounding me today about getting her nails done today. I really needed to get stuff loaded up on the trailer and put into storage.

Sent a loaf of fresh bread and 1 gallon of chili over to the parents house so it would be waiting for them when they returned pre-packer game. Hooked up the trailer, grabbed the swimming pool and the little wagon and the post hole digger, and a few other things that were on the porch and put them in the van. Dropped Christina off at Oakwood Mall, Then Bug and I went to our garage and dropped off this load.

These are a couple pictures of the garage that I am renting to store my "toys" in.

then went back and loaded up the big grill and the spare stove and brought the out also.

Then it was time to grab the scooter. I don't think I will be riding much anymore.

Wife was ready so picked her up and went home. I realized that I might be getting a could so I went home and drank a large glass of OJ and took some Day Quil then bed for a couple hours.

Got a call from George that he thinks we should meet at Altoona Family Restaurant for supper.

now it is time to run everyone through the bath tub and get all ready for school/work.

My back still hurtz.

What I really did

2011-09-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sitting down for a while. I got the new blind up in the living room 32$. Todd and Christina brought the shelving unit parts downstairs and I put it back together for the pantry. As I write this the wife is stocking the pantry and Todd is doing the dishes. (I could watch him work all day long.) It was different watching him diagnose a problem with his printer today, and then discuss this with me ( he didn't have the money for a 20$ cartridge) and then put new one in and test it according to the software he installed. wonder if he is gonna try the IT field?

Rebekah is getting to be more and more of a problem. She is very argumentative with her mother and I and she is usually the instigator of fights with her brothers. Need to get the bedrooms done so she has a place to herself that isn't filled with things that are not ready to be put in their place yet.

I have to get a door drilled for a lock-set and deadbolt. Our new bedroom was the living room upstairs and has no door on it. I found a new-ish door at a thrift sale and several boxes or door hardware (found enough to have a complete passage lock-set and a matching deadbolt. (with keys <grin>))

The thrift sale at NHS seems to be on a different day (kinda figured that since I would have noticed that kind of information on the school calender.) But we did stop at a few on way back.

I might be coming down with this cold that all the children seem to have. Noticed tell-tale signs that I passed a stone again. damn my back hurts.

My friend Rick Meyers from La Cross called last nigh and left a message while I was working. Called him back tonight and again he is looking for nights and weekend help. But with 2 boys in special ed. and just starting on buying a house. I don't think Rick could "sweeten the deal" enough to leave this area.

HOLY CRAP! Todd just finished the dishes while I was typing and offered to make me a cup of coffee!

Bus Meltdown

2011-09-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago bus 67 burned up the starter, the starter wire harness and both batteries and the jumper wires between the 2 batteries. Yesterday I spent the remainder of my morning and early afternoon manufacturing a replacement starter wire harness. Today I assisted Tom on the reassembly of bus 67.

This is what a new starter and new harness and ground strap look like. Notice the frost plug right above the solenoid how discolored it is from the heat of the starter.

What I do on my day "off"

2011-09-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

The blower motor in the furnace for the downstairs half of the building quit 2 days ago and I can now afford a new one. Will call on Monday and get some one out here. So, Bug crawled in bed with us claiming she was cold. I was up early and made fresh pot of coffee and checked the space heater (68 degrees, not that cold).

Measured the living room window for blinds (48 x 64). turned the chili back on low and will let it steep most of the day. Checked Todd's printer and added new black cartridge to my shopping list. Called Tom and let him know I was up and ready. (going in to work for a few hours to put the harness in the bus that melted down 2 days ago.) The boys tell me there is a thrift sale at North High School today. Will need to go to that and see what they have. (good to support our school).

My Cousin Darrell wants me to do the front brakes on his Malibu. He promises to help me with hanging the bedroom door.

I need to get the tractors put away for the season. And the extra stove and fridge need to go into storage instead of sitting on my porch. We didn't cook on the grill much after October last year so I think grill will go also. Need to aim the headlights on 28 ( got new headlight assemblies a couple days ago because mine were so badly fogged over).

Now tonight I will post what I really did today. lets see what I got done....

Chili

2011-09-16T20:35:00.003-07:00

I really don't know what normal people do when they get home from work. But I went grocery shopping and then made chili and bread.

This is Christina browning up the meat and onions and stuff

Chili all ready for tomorrow.

Bread will be ready in morning.

Kitchen

2011-09-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

My wife, Christina and I looked at some new appliances a while back and we decided on Kenmore Elite, even though we have had a horrible time with repairs with our Electrolux washer and dryer. The call center sends a repair tech out to verify that it is broken even though we call in the part number and the kit number that is need BEFORE the tech arrives (door gasket on washer gets torn) and this wastes the time of the tech and myself or my wife who has to be here (and I can never get a time when I am not working.

But we both agreed that it wasn't an issue with the technicians but a problem at the call center.

Side note. I can now order the gasket and install it myself with out the need of a tech and not void my warranty.

The Dishwasher

The Refrigerator

We already have a Range that is 4 years old and just repaired from lightning damage. so now it is a matter of wait for our Tax return and we will use that this year for appliances instead of a new furnace or washer and dryer for the parents. And that will be a story for another day.

P U !

2011-09-15T00:11:00.000-07:00

Went to bed earlier than normal and woke up about 2 am. did a walk around through the house and turned off lights and other things. When I....... Damn, WTF is that smell????

Smells familiar....

If anyone can remember, awhile back I bought a mini van that was the home of many mice. and they made a mess of things. I took that car apart ( 90 degree weather ) stripped the interior and cleaned that car so that horrible dead mouse smell would be gone...

That's it!!!!!

I think the mouse poison we put down around the foundation and under the floor worked. But now the mice are dead in places that are kinda hard to get at.

I got 1 carcass out. did a little bleaching. do more in the morning I think. getting tired again.... night night

Christmas of 2010

2011-09-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Things have happened over the years that make you smile and then there are the times that make milk come out of your nose because you are laughing so hard.

My friend, Jim Sparks and his 2 children , Jimmy and Jillian, came down from Alexandria, MN for the holiday and we were going to the parents house for supper.

Mom was getting the mashed potatoes ready and Dad was sitting in his corner chair in the kitchen drinking coffee with Sparky and I when I noticed Jillian fascinated with Dads carbon fiber leg. So I told her about the time when I found dad snoring in the living room and snuck up to him. I unscrewed his ankle joint and turned his foot all the way around so it was pointing backwards.....when dad woke up and tried to chase after me, all he could do was run in circles.

Jillian looked me square in the eyes and with the most believing tone said reeeaally???? coffee and milk came out of my nose and grandma almost chocked on her teeth...

There are affidavits on file....

Dads last wishes, the grease fire, and the burning permit....

2011-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

The relationship between my father in law and myself has changed over the years. My wife was 17 and still in high school when she became pregnant with our first son, Todd. Other than the fact that this was against the law, sexual contact with a child. But my BIGGEST fear came from my father in law, Ronald. This man stood almost 7 foot tall and about 380 lbs. my biggest fear was falling while running away and Ron falling on top of me while he was screaming at me "why???" glad I woke up from that one...

After 2 more children, and several jobs (gonna have to post my resume some time...) Ron and I were on his ramp talking about what to do in case some thing happened to him....We talked about taking care of mom and getting rid of worldly things...when we discussed his last wishes....At this point in our lives we have both understood that we misjudged each other. And now it was more like father and son instead of the boy who got my daughter knocked up and ran...And we were able to talk about alot of things and be serious when we needed and not when we had to. Dad and i talked about his cremation and his funeral arrangements.

The next day, while I was driving around, I had the most evil thought. So I called up Dad and put my plan in motion.

Robert: ummm, Dad?
Ronald: Yes?
Robert: I have some bad news, good,news, bad news and maybe worse news....
Ronald: ????????
Robert: Remember how we talked about you not wanting a big event for a funeral and just wanted a simple cremation?
Ronald: yes?

At this point I could hear in his voice that he was getting ready to bite the hook and I needed to get ready to reel him in fast.

Robert: So I called around and got some estimates for your final "demise" and all of the local crematoriums would not be able to handle your size.....
Ronald: ?? what ???
Robert: So I thought about how cheap could I go if we did this ourselves....
Ronald:WHAT????
Robert: ya!, So I thought we get a shipping crate that a freezer came in and used that and tossed you in the fire pit we could get the job done for... say 10 to 20 bucks.....
Ronald:..............
Robert: But then I was concerned about problems with the fire department so I called the chief about prearranging a burning permit. But was told something about not burning anything bigger than my finger and needing to control the smoke since I lived in town....well that idea went up in flames when I told him of my plans and he was concerned with a residential grease fire...
Ronald: YOU SON OF A B****! I am gonna fall on you and beat you with my peg.

(yes I really did tell this to my dad.)

after a while we both got done laughing....I called back a few hours later and upped it.

Robert: DAD! Great news! The fire chief called back and was wondering if this could be used as a training exercise in putting out LARGE grease fires....but I was concerned with if we get this fire going would be able to put it out... and more to the point, should we?

We laughed so hard.

Saturday and Sunday

2011-09-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

My first weekend on call after Ron and I started to break up the months to give him some free time. Got nice start to the day on Saturday, Called Jeff in the morning to let him know about a cancellation and made sure he had my number if he needed me and told him I would switch the phone at 1800.

Started off by moving the contents of our OLD living room to NEW living room. But that had to wait after about an hour. I realized that I was only going to get 1 day to mow out at Greendale properties that I needed to do that now before 1800.

Went to Randy's Family Restaurant for lunch with George Eavey and the rest of the family, Then went to Greendale and mowed. Tina Took over for me when I got to the front where she can handle the tractor. I went to the garage and put the little boat away for the season and got two 3/4 tread tires out to put on the front of my van #28 and the battery from the boat to put in storage.

Did a few SHH discharges and a MAYO detox. but all in all it was a really good weekend.

I finally get to have a cup of coffee whenever I want it now. Yes, I am serious, wife only lets me have 1 cup of coffee in the morning with my blood pressure pill.

I thought it was time to post a picture of my wife working. she is doing a lot of things that I never give her credit for and never tell her how good she is to me.

Not the best picture, but I love her dearly. (And she works her ass off)

Todd and I carrying down the 15$ TV and putting it back on the stand. Funny thing though, the TV cost 15$ and the stand cost 200$

No I didn't make Todd stand there with the power cable in his mouth, but this was the only time he wasn't yelling.

We couldn't get the locks to screw back into the holes. (how many Polocks does it take to screw a screw?)

Working on a little cable management, The days of computer work sometimes comes back.

Bad picture of good cable management

I got the Cable runs down stairs so we had HDTV to watch some of the 9/11 specials. (Bug had a lot of questions) the one that was the hardest to answer was " why are you and mommy crying"

I also got a very unexpected call. Guy was back early and wanted to trade.... he will take tonight from me and I will do tomorrow night..... Let me see... I get a good nights sleep and the on call after a full day and may or may not go out, or.......O hell there is no bad side. I had to do it. Bear was calling and I needed to get some sleep. My legs are killing me from running up and down the stairs.

Mostly done..... for now

2011-09-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

Todd,Bug and myself painted his room. Then Bug and I replaced all the outlets with new 15 amp units and repaired the missing grounds. Had to buy a new boxspring for him cause his other bed didn't need one. Todd and Tyler made short work of carring all of his furniture and clothing and computer and.........well, all of his stuff.
Good night Todd.
We need to do the kitchen/laundry room upstairs next.

On a side note... I did enjoy Todd cleaning and putting all of his things away and being proud of the job that he had done.

Primer going on and some stuff moved in.

2011-09-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Had brunch with George at Perkins, then we went to Menards for a few things (sponge sanding block, light bulbs, and dish washing supplies)

I thought that this would be a good time for Todd to learn to appreciate his hard work by doing as much himself as he can.

So I had him start off by sanding the patching that we did yesterday and prep the walls for primer. then I had him take all the plastic out and shake it out, wash the floor, and then put it all back. Then he put a gallon of primer up.

While all this was going on I had Bug and Tyler running around getting things from upstairs and bring down to be washed and put away.

I called a friend, James (Computer Wizards) give me a hand with carrying the stove down. he also broke down my little kitchen table and brought that down. (had to do some flipping around but got it done with the help of the Bug)

After the table was done I made supper for all and did the dishes. My wife and Todd dried and put them away. (thanks guys)

On a side note.... I have had the hiccups all day and my side and back hurts so bad thinking of going to ER. will try and sleep, if I cant, will see Dr. in morning.

Todds room

2011-09-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

Really slow start. After getting the door opening roughed in. We had lunch. After that we cleaned up and took nap. (Not sure who benifited more, me or Bug). Got up from nap, went down and pulled many nails and screws. Filled holes and repaired cracks. This room will not be stripped to the studs this year, for we need to concentrate our meager resources in stripping the living room to the studs and insulating and vapor barrier and then new sheetrock. Along with upgrading the electric in living room it is in need of insulation and a new window.

Making a wall into a door

2011-09-03T12:18:00.001-07:00

Started converting duplex back into a house. Was fun putting hole in the wall.
Well, after putting some pork tenderloin and sweet sour grilled chicken.

The start.

2011-09-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

I paid the first payment today and then updated the insurance on the house. called x-cel and charter. (blew through about $4000.00 in 2 days.)

Todd decided on a shade of green for his room that we all agreed on and bought 2 gallons. got new outlet installed on the porch for the freezer (needed a grounded outlet). put a ceiling fan in the kitchen to move the stale air and give more light. Trimmed the pine tree near the driveway so I can park my work van off street and not hit the air conditioner assembly.

went into work this morning early so I could finish up van 40 and get home to grocery shop.

Shipped the last of the theater equipment out for repair today, hope it gets back in reasonable time.

so many things I wanted to do today that I didn't. need to try again tomorrow.

Sorry, no pictures tonight. post tomorrow will be better..

Thursday September the First

2011-09-02T01:49:00.000-07:00

Todd, The oldest, had his last day of work at Hilltop today. I am happy but also sad. It was a pain for me to work late at nights and then have to get up at 0630 and take him to work, come home and try and get a couple more hours of sleep, then pick him up and bring him home, and go into work and try and get my shop duties done. (fell asleep in Sams club parking lot on Wednesday night before my last pick up)

Tyler had his first day back to school and he is now in high school. (seems like so long ago I was holding him as a newborn and crying my eyes out hoping that his mother would make it through the night)

Rebekah, had orientation today at Longfellow. Everything seems to have gone ok. got to sit with her at supper time and she told me about her new teachers.

Contractors were here today and got a few things done. New door on Todds new bedroom is up. hope to get started on the painting this weekend. want to have Todd moved in by Sunday night. Rebekah, (bug) just doesn't understand that her brother would like some privacy. And Todd is not at all understanding that he is a "Big Brother" and needs to set an example. Hopefully we can resolve most of the fighting issues with more square footage.

I tried to find a Barber that would shave my head and face. But no one will do it because of risk of exposure to hep. or aids. guess I don't blame them. Was able to get hair cut almost smooth and found that Shorty on birch street would do a shave but by appointment only.

I went into work today with the idea that I would be replacing a cylinder hydraulic line on van 40. But as usual, when I got there Tom was on his way in with minibus 44 or 45 (i don't remember (Harlows bus )) with a lift problem. Tom went out and swapped vans with Harlow because it wouldn't stow properly and he claimed was low on fluid. I took the cover off and verified that it was full of Smurf juice and the pump was not cavitating (sucking air). But I did notice that the pendent rattled when I was operating the lift. opened it up and low and behold a wire was off the "UP" switch. I don't Get to enjoy this part nearly as often so when it happens I savor it. So I went to tom and said to him Guess who was right for the first time this month? and his reply was even a blind squirrel can tell time with a broken watch twice a day. ( or something like that). Had it fixed and back on the road in 15 min.

It is very enjoyable working with Tom, It isn't always just fix things, he wants to share his knowledge and make sure I understand why we do things the way we do and why the simplest fix isn't always the right one. We not only repair company equipment but we talk about things like politics and religion. and usually these are subjects that shouldn't. We don't always seem to see the same views politically, but religion (the bible, Christianity in general) is a subject that we do talk about a lot. I guess I look up to Tom as an older brother that I never had.

Then on to Van 40, I started in on the dissassembly of the lift and noticed that the new line that I had in inventory was the wrong one. I went out to Van 48 (my storage warehouse) and hoped that I had a lift out there that had one on it. But no luck. Showed Tom my problem and we ordered a new hose from hydraulic shop here in town. My only concern is that the hose that was on the lift was replaced by Brent a few years ago and was done wrong. Wrong outside diameter caused the hose to pinch and wear down to the braided casing, and then rupture.

I removed the old hose so they had the correct length and example of the ends that we needed and sent the wrong hose which had the correct diameter hose but too long. While waiting for the new hose, I replaced the locks on the lift and removed all the W/C tie-down hardware and threw it in trash, and put the new Q-straint hardware in the van.

While waiting for my new hose, Jeff (TC-49) drives up with 79 and says his lift is running real slooooooow. I checked the lift and when you ran it it drew enough power to kill the lights and radios in the bus. checked the battery and verified the alternator was cooked. Tom ordered a new alternator, and I started to get the few tools that we needed. (damn thing was so hot the wet rag that I used to grab it with was steaming by the time I set it on the bench) Took forever to get new alternator. and my hose was back yet. I needed to get lift stowed so we could park vans in garage. so I used my hose that was too long and put that in so I could at least stow the lift and clean up the garage. (I had 3 children with hair appointments at 1600 and I wasn't gonna be late) by the time I got van 40 put back, the alternator arrived and I started on the installation (this is part where Tom comes over and points out that I let ground strap off. Thank god Tom checks my work over. Had bus back together and Jeff back on the road just a few minutes behind schedule.

Tom was still fighting with van 27, seems that the steering linkage was just wore out and would be down even longer then planned (Sherri would not be happy) But he did get M 34 working, a broken wire that took almost 3 days to track down. (like I said earlier, simplest fix not always the correct one)

Went home and got granny and the children and wife and went to RCU and then haircuts. 60 bucks for 4 haircuts and tip. Thank you Terriann Halvorson Gallati .

Stopped at Bob the corn mans veggie stand and got more corn for tomorrows cookout and a cantaloupe for breakfast.

I do not remember much else other than I woke up about 0230 friday morning. I be damned, I slept for almost 8 hours!

And my life being compared to hair-care, wash, rinse, repeat.

Working for the weekend

2011-08-30T23:04:00.001-07:00

I decieded to sacrifice my normql day off (wednesday). So I could have a long weekend to use getting downstairs work started and get Todd moved into his new room. Hoping to get a few of the larger items moved and get the upper living room converted back to a bed room. Got a beef tenderloin ready to be trimmed and merinaded and 2 cases of corona. Need a few other items for the house "rewarmin'" party. Invited james and katie. Hoping the guys from wizards (tar-v, "x" and twizted) can drop by also. I always seem to have too much food. No pictures today, for I write this as I am getting ready for bed.

Grillin' corn

2011-08-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

Never done it myself but always willing to try. Marinade chicken and corn on the grill.

Mowing at work

2011-08-28T13:56:00.001-07:00

Finished mowing ahead of schedual with help from my wife and Tyler
My wife works very hard trying to stay on the tractor as she is bounced around.
Will be purchasing new tractor this winter or spring. (tax money more than likely)
wife picked out a Cub Cadet at Farm & Fleet that she can operate all the controls easily. I am considering a snow thrower attachment.....